Annual Game Music Awards 2014 – Scores of the Year

We are proud to present the winners in the ‘Scores of the Year’ category of the Annual Game Music Awards 2014. These panel-voted, officially-recognised awards provide a thorough and wide-reaching recognition of achievement in game music over the last year. The panelists have selected their choices by carefully considering the merit of the game music created this year — as art and entertainment, as part of in-game experiences and as part of stand-alone albums. Congratulations to all winners, runners-up, and nominees.

Best Score — Traditional / Acoustic

Transistor

Darren Korb’s best-selling soundtrack for Transistor appealed to a wide spectrum of listeners with its rich and moody genre mashups. What truly elevates its status to masterpiece, however, is how it perfectly complemented the game’s visual style to create a truly immersing in-game experience.

Runners-Up

The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki II
Child of Light / The Sailor’s Dream (tie)

Other Nominations

Best Score — Orchestral / Cinematic

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The atmospheric, cinematic soundtrack for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter marries beautifully with the game’s visuals. Newcomer Mikolai Stroinski ensured the score also drew in stand-alone listeners by incorporating resonant themes and heartfelt emotions in a subtle, meaningful manner.

Runners-Up

Bayonetta 2
The Banner Saga

Other Nominations

Best Score — Rock / Electronic

Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign

Exuberantly composed and produced, Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign is arena rock music at some of its finest. Offering a tantalising combination of new and old anthems, instrumental and vocal themes, Daisuke Ishiwatari captured the charm of the fighting series’ classic scores while introducing his sound to a new generation.

Runners-Up

Mario Kart 8
Hohokum

Other Nominations

Best Score — Chiptune / Retro

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

There’s no doubt that Nintendo did the right thing by bringing back oft-neglected old-timer David Wise to helm an all-new score of the Donkey Kong Country franchise. Universally beloved, Tropical Freeze’s soundtrack proves to be a fun, vivid, and epic journey from start to finish.

Other Nominations

Best Score — Rhythm / Music Game

Crypt of the NecroDancer

Danny Baranowsky was born to score Crypt of the NecroDancer. His signature infectious beats are an ideal fit for the game’s rhythm gameplay, while his daring chiptune-rock-techno hybrids reflect the dungeon crawler’s bold personality and 16-bit visual style.

Other Nominations

Best Score — Western Localisation

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

In 2014, the Danganronpa franchise transitioned from Japanese cult favourite to global phenomenon as its first two games were finally localised. While Masafumi Takada’s scores for both are excellent, the sequel particularly immersed with its strange, bold, and often downright contradictory sounds.

About the Author

Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!